Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy
Represented in Parliament by Melanie Ward (Labour). Here is who won the last general election here, and a few numbers about the area.
Your MP at a glance
Melanie Ward, Labour. Open their full page →
These describe the record. They do not say why an MP voted or claimed as they did.
How Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy compares
Every dot is one of the 631 areas that have figures. The large red dot is this area; green dots are areas like it.
This area is 345 of 631 for pay, counting from the highest.
Higher than 463 areas and lower than 185.
Areas like this one
The three areas with the closest pay and claimant rate. This says nothing about politics or geography.
| Area | Weekly pay | Claimants |
|---|---|---|
| Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy | £742 | 4.2% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | £744 | 4.1% |
| Glenrothes and Mid Fife | £739 | 4.3% |
| Worsley and Eccles | £731 | 4.2% |
| United Kingdom | £767 | 3.9% |
Who lives here
Census figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are published separately and are not on UK Explained yet.
Labour
votes ahead of second place
of people who could vote did
Melanie Ward won with 46% of the votes, and Lesley Backhouse (Scottish National Party) came second with 28%.
Votes for each party
Every candidate
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanie Ward | Labour | 18,662 | 45.7% |
| Lesley Backhouse | Scottish National Party | 11,414 | 28.0% |
| Jonathan Gray | Conservative | 3,203 | 7.8% |
| Sonia Davidson | Reform UK | 3,128 | 7.7% |
| Fraser Graham | Liberal Democrat | 1,593 | 3.9% |
| Mags Hall | Scottish Green Party | 1,556 | 3.8% |
| Neale Hanvey | Alba Party | 1,132 | 2.8% |
| Calum Paul | Scottish Libertarian Party | 126 | 0.3% |
2024 General Election, on today’s boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library via the Members API.
Your area at a glance
Median gross weekly pay, 2025. Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
Share of people aged 16 to 64, August 2026. Source: ONS and DWP claimant count.
Updated 4 Oct 2026